The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer
by Hotoami
Summary: Set in that period of a year between Mizuki's departure and Sano's return; a nice and fluffy four-shot of Sano and Mizuki's thoughts and actions during this time.
1. Part I

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while, I know ;; (Gomen-nasai! ) But I'm back!

This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but then it turned into a two-shot and then a four-shot... ;; So each section seems pretty definite, but it keeps going... I'm not going to upload it all at once, though, so I can leave time for reviews to come in for each chapter. People don't tend to like reading things like this all at once anyway. Sorry for any typos there may be; I wrote it in a notebook then typed it up with limited time, so I haven't proof-read it yet ... I like the title quite a bit, though... I was going to write a poem by the same name with spring instead of summer, but I thought it would work better for this ... So here's part one of The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer; enjoy!

Disclaimer: Hisaya Nakajo is the brilliant mind who created the wonderful Hanazkari no Kimitachi e, not me. All I own is every piece of merchandise I can get my hands on.

**The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer**

_Part I_

Summer break… One more week and it would be summer break. The Berkeley sun seemed to shine even brighter at this prospect, Mizuki's grin just as bright as she stared blankly at her droning teacher. _You would think they would take it easy on the seniors on their last week of school, ever, _she thought, her frosted gaze rotating toward the window. American schools were hard to get used to again, but she had been able to manage. The lectures in English had been strange after being in Japan for so long (two years is a long time, right?), but on her journey back she had vowed to herself that she would work harder than she ever had so she could get into whatever school she wished. _And wherever Izumi is, is where I want to be_, she thought, closing her eyes and sighing. The sun still managed to shine through her eyelids, the patterns it formed seemingly taking the shape of the one who had effected her actions especially this past year, despite his absence. He wasn't entirely absent from her life, however, as she got at least one letter a month. _He must be busy, too,_ she thought, opening her eyes once more and glancing down at the paper which never seemed to leave her hand. She never had any doubt that he would forget his promise or stop loving her, but the letter was as close as she could come to his being there by her side. That was the strangest thing about America at first, she thought. She had glanced to the seat beside her so often, expecting to see Sano's lightly sleeping or attentive frame, that at one point in the middle of the year a rumor had began to circulate that she was infatuated with the boy who in reality sat in that seat. Of course, rumors no longer affected her as much as they used to. _He was right: rumors_ do _only last 75 days_, she mused, the smile turning into a drunken grin as she glanced to the side at the boy who shifted uncomfortably. Her classmates had long since become accustomed to these inner monologues and outward displays of emotion, but none but Julia knew the true reasoning behind them. They knew she had spent two years in Japan, but whenever asked she would simply simile and say it was the best decision she had ever made. She had many more friends in her American high school than middle school, a great change for those few who knew her in junior high, but she didn't seem to make the effort to become close to any of them – they could all tell her heart was still in Japan and attached to whatever new letter she would carry with her each month.

The bell rang and jostled her out of her reverie, for a fleeting moment causing surprise that she had not been condemned for not paying attention. _I suppose they _are_ taking it easier on us,_ she shrugged, gathering her belongings.

"Are you ever going to leave that guy alone?" Julia asked from her others side – Nakao's former seat.

"Hey, it's his fault he's not Izumi," she said, laughing along with her best friend as they made their way down the hallway.

The moment they reached their study hall door, Mizuki jolted to a halt, staring in horror at her hand.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked, her voice trailing off as she noticed the absence. "Jeez Mickey! The one time you don't have it in your hand…" but Mizuki was by then a blur skirting the corner. Sighing – but not from frustration – Julia wheeled around to follow her friend.

The girl at Mizuki's desk jumped in surprise at the loud banging behind her and quickly turned to face its anxious owner.

"I need that back," Mizuki panted, her voice kind yet stern. The girl looked down to the letter in her hand and back at Mizuki, shrugged, and presented the paper slowly, no longer surprised when Mizuki swiftly darted forth her hand to accept it.

"Thank you," she breathed, just a hint of relief in her voice as she clutched the letter to her and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait," the girl called out from behind her just as Julia sidled in through the door. "So that's what you did in Japan… Wow, I never would have thought that the useless girl who couldn't take care of herself would have been able to survive at an all-boy's school."

Mizuki whirled back around, burning with anger and taking a menacing step forward. The fleeing glimpse of Julia also coming forward in support and placidity calmed Mizuki and made her think of Sano, causing her to halt her advance and clutch the letter even closer.

"But I think you're much better for it," the girl said, her conceding tone much softer. She shrugged and walked past them out the door, not making eye contact. With that simple statement all anger vanished, leaving in hits wake a residue of confusion plastered on Mizuki's face. It only took another beat, however, for it to break into her patented wide grin and for her to shout out the door, "Thank you!" The girl was long since gone, but that didn't deter the grin from growing as she turned again to face Julia who came up and patted Mizuki on the shoulder, guiding her back to the door.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late for study hall." They continued walked in pleasant silence until they reached the previously-abandoned door and stopped for Julia to say, "You really can't stop getting people to love you, can you?"

Her reward was the dazzling glow from her best friend as they crossed the threshold, becoming one period closer to graduation… _And one period further to Sano…_


	2. Part II

Sorry folks, it's a short one. I was busy this week, so I really didn't have time to post earlier; gomen! ;; Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: You all know the deal

**The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer**_  
Part II_

Her room was bathed in light as she awoke, no grogginess hampering her as she rolled out from under the sheets and headed downstairs. A wary summer breeze drifted between the open windows, the lightly billowing curtains giving a homely essence to the scene.

The previous day had been her last in high school, which had blown past with few tears. She knew she would see Julia, and none of the others meant as much to her. If anything, graduation signified a return to her greatest friends who lived an ocean away.

A quick breakfast and change preceded her advance outdoors, the busy Californian sidewalks bustling with people as she neared the university. The sandwich stand brought forth a grin with the memory of her meeting Sano and Nakatsu there, struggling to order their lunch. _At least, Nakatsu was struggling, _she thought, laughing as she imagined how Sano must have felt, knowing English and watching his friend suffer. _But he's so funny when he's struggling! _her internal exclamation in defense so she wouldn't be grinning at his demise. _I forgive you for not helping him, Izumi. _Her grin shrank as the memory of her times with Nakatsu became prominent in her mind._ He's just always so funny...  
_

Passerby were wary as the swiftly-recovered, shining girl strode past, a pleasant hop in her step. She imagined the event so often that with every turn she expected to see Sano, arms open and a petite smile gracing the features she had missed and longed for throughout the past year. "But he'll be in Osaka for a little while yet," she said aloud, remembering their last correspondence where Mizuki had informed him of their graduation day and Sano had of theirs'. During the same conversation, Sano had also told her he was attending UC Berkeley for the high jump, an excited Mizuki reading him her own acceptance letter. What she didn't tell him, however, was that she had waited for this conversation to confirm, preferring to wait and see where he was going. This year had been hard enough with the distance; if they had to go through college doing the same, she wasn't sure if she could stand it.

Her feet had obediently carried her home as her mind was across an ocean and eyes at UC Berkeley, the rest of her remembering him in ways her mind could not. She glanced at the weather report in the newspaper, praising her luck as she read that there was no rain in the forecast for that night. It would be awful if it had rained on her graduation ceremony.

The combined phrase seemed strange in even her own mind. "My graduation." She tested for her ears, the words sounding even stranger than when they were confined to her head. "... is tonight..." She was ready, but she had always envisioned her graduation in Japanese, her diploma reading "Osaka Gauken" in elaborate calligraphy, all her friends cheering with her as they threw their hats symbolically in the finale of their childhood... No, she would not be a child anymore, but an independent woman. This phrase also used to frighten her, but as she tested them on her tongue it seemed right, as if they had been waiting there the entire time, waiting for her brain to permit its release. And so, in a couple hours from now, her body would be joining those words in complete and desired womanhood. _But it's not the diploma which has given it to me..._


	3. Part III

A/N: Behold part three! Longer than the others... I really like the last paragraph, but not so much the rest of it ;;  
One more! Should be up in the next couple of days. Thanks for sticking with me ( ) (That's supposed to be a hug, by the way xD It doesn't like the carats and such.)  
Disclaimer – You all know the spiel.

**The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer**_  
Part III_

The gown was comically huge as she placed it over her shoulders, but considering what she had seen of others' graduations, this was the way it was meant to be. _Not very practical..._ she thought, shaking her head and wondering how much more she had to pay for the unneeded fabric.

She would meet her parents there since they both needed to work, making for a strange situation as she headed toward the University's green where it would be held. She was no stranger to peculiar stares, however, and welcomed the occasional "Congratulations!" graciously.

She found an impatient Julia as she neared the cluster of neatly-aligned folding chairs, the smile that stretched her friend's face holding just the smallest hint of nervousness.

"Hey, you're scared!" Mizuki teased, the smile hiding itself for indignance.

"No I'm not!" she lied. Anyone else may not have noticed, but this was Mizuki she was speaking to.

"I could read you with a paper bag over my head," she defied, the smile emerging onto Julia's features once more.

"Yeah, 'cause you'd just put it over _my_ head so you wouldn't have to deal with it anymore." The laughter seemed to ease the remnants of her nerves as their principal found his way to a bullhorn and instructed everyone to sit in alphabetical order. Julia waved good-bye and blew a kiss, her robes swishing as she turned to find her seat. In a way she was lucky having the last name of Ashiya, today in particular. She located the third seat easily and sat in it, lightly drumming her fingers as she waited for the rest to fill in.

The initial speeches were boring, talking about their future and a "new horizon" -- as if there weren't the same horizon all along... She had to fight back her laughter as her wandering gaze found a boy with bleached hair sleeping; it could have been Nakatsu by what she could see.

The valedictorian's speech was much more interesting – humor is usually the best path to take with boring ceremonies like this. She silently praised his ability to hold his peers' attention for so long when his teachers couldn't so much as approach accomplishing that particular feat, and stored his name in her memory to look for him years later as a great orator, or lawyer, or politician...

As the principal worked his way to the podium everyone straightened, their gaze upon the mound of scrolls on an embellished table beside him. A fleeting wave of nervousness hit her as the principal shuffled the papers containing their names, no doubt a pronunciation key beside each one. What if her future didn't work out as planned? The scroll also meant banishment from this haven of youth where your brother and best friend cover for you when you run away to an all-boy's school, and where your greatest concern is an upcoming history paper... _No, my greatest concern now is reuniting with Izumi,_ she thought, _and I'm still going to have history papers to worry about in college, only it'll be much worse._

A certain gentleness overcame her as the first name was called, his feet moving in time with the band's Pomp and Circumstance. She never liked the song – too regal and distant and definite... But it held so many more connotations now that it was her own turn to climb the stage stairs to its pulse.

"Mizuki Ashiya!" The voice boomed, her legs moving independently to her immediate wishes as they responded to their call. The stairs had seemed so small from her seat – why were they so imposing now? Her eyes were locked on the principal's as he smiled at her and shook her hand. Her fingers closed easily around the rolled document, her hand only quivering slightly. Wait, why were they shaking at all? Such music and professional atmospheres seem to incur nerves, even if there's no solid reasoning to be found.

Her gait became slower and more purposeful as she passed the principal to shake the hands of some people she had never seen before, accepting their congratulations as she had for those on the street. As she reached the end of the line and began to walk to the opposite set of stairs and back to her seat, she allowed herself to look to the audience for the first time. Her parents were easily found as they waved to her, pride seeping from more than every pore in their bodies. A small glint caught the corner of her mother's eye, betraying their leak as her waving grew more furious now that she had noticed Mizuki was looking her way. But it was not their pride nor the glint that attracted her interest; near the back of the audience another shine had drawn her attention, the same sultry eyes which has taken her at their first glance. A blinding happiness and pride lay behind the light comparable to her parents', but there was also a sad longing there as they watched her descent down the stairs. Once clear of the steps she snapped her attention once more to that spot, wishing beyond hope that it would be the boy (_no, man) _she had taken to associate with those eyes, that he had come to see her graduate, whether he was by her side or not... But it wasn't there as she searched, making her doubt if it had existed at all. _Well, he's here with me anyway, physically or not, _she thought, clutching her diploma to her as if it were one of his letters, feeling his presence and his promise in the grit of the paper, and realizing the same longing glowed in her own eyes.


	4. Part IV

A/N: Well, it's the last part of this humble little story. Thank you very much for the lovely reviews from those of you who did. I really do appreciate them :) Thank you, and I promise that songfic is next! I've been promising it for way too long... ;;  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the fantabulous characters of Hana Kimi, Hisaya Nakajo does.

**The Pomp and Circumstance of Summer**_  
Part IV_

As the voice on the phone had given the date he poised his pen over the calendar, marking the day and time deliberately and clearly. He smiled as he imagined her excited features when he had told her he was accepted to UC Berkeley and she had informed him of the same, but what he didn't tell her was that he had refrained from accepting until he could be assured that she would remain close by. He wasn't sure if he could stand being away from her for much longer, let alone all through college. But graduation was coming up soon, and he was sure to carry out his promise, preferably sooner rather than later. Every time he jumped he expected Mizuki to be right beside the mat with the look of amazed stupor on her face he always caught her with after a particularly-graceful jump. He would prepare himself for a good laugh only to find there was no one there to laugh with, so he would instead grit his teeth and direct the energy into making the next jump better than the last. It would need to be if he wanted to be accepted to UC Berkeley's sports department.

But now he had the acceptance letter in his hands, two dates marked on the calendar, and his future within his grasp. Just a couple more weeks...

Only one more week for Mizuki. He longed to be able to see her in her gown and cornered hat, striding gallantly forward to valiant music as she accepted her... His laughter drown out the rest of his thoughts; she'd probably trip on her way up, let alone fall into all the pomp and circumstance of the evening.

He copied one of the dates on the calendar to a scrap of paper and headed through the door, directing himself toward Osaka's main offices. Even if he had to sneak away, there was no way he would miss this.

So a week later a handsome Japanese high jumper steps from a plane into the bright California sun, no one with him and no one there to meet him. He had decided it was better this way, because if they had to say good-bye one more time, there was no telling if it would break him.

The location was relatively simple to find: ask some locals and follow the stream of people in dress-clothes and a few in graduation robes. They were aligning the chairs for the students when he got there, his eyes scanning the area for anyone he may know. There was no one, but he thought it best to hide until the ceremony begins.

He almost didn't realize it was her with the comically large robe, longer hair, and slightly more mature features... almost. But there was no mistaking as she walked up to Julia and said a few words, their laughter soon being the only thing he could hear. He drank it in like an alcoholic, getting the fix he had been longing for for a year.

Now, he wasn't exactly hiding (since that would be a bit more disturbing than endearing); he was simply avoiding wherever Mizuki's gaze happened to lie at the moment which proved quite difficult, as it seemed she had a knack for finding exactly where he's standing at any given moment. The principal's bullhorn announcement was welcome, as it caused the students to concentrate on something other than him (_does that have to happen wherever I go?_), and caused Mizuki to direct her attention forward and away from him. It was getting harder and harder not to run up behind her and hold her... Hell, it was getting harder keep himself from walking near her, but the thought of waving good-bye to her on a place stopped him each time. Now he could simply sit in the back and watch without risk.

The speeches were just as boring as those in Osaka, although they posed more of a challenge to Sano every time a word or phrase came up he didn't know. It didn't take knowing the slang to tell the valedictorian was excellent, though, making Sano wonder how long it would be before he became a famous orator, or lawyer, or politician...

As the principal came to the podium, Sano straightened with everyone else, knowing that Mizuki would be one of the first to be called. The first two were typical enough: announce the name, start music, climb stairs, shake hands, get diploma, shake more hands, et cetera. It was the third that made his heart skip a beat, that made him want to shout at the band to stop playing so fast so he could have more time to watch her ascent, her handshake, her small fingers curling around the scroll... He could feel her hope with only a hint of pride, her eyes shining with these and something else behind it all... Was it... Longing? Yes, it was a longing. A longing for him, to be back at Osaka to graduate with everyone else.

She smiled to her parents who sat near the front, utilizing their time to show pride for their child to its full extent. This time when her eyes snapped to him he couldn't look away, no longer thinking of the plane and of leaving, but of Mizuki and only Mizuki. The longing hidden behind her eyes grew along with surprise as she recognized him, or at least thought she did. As soon as their gaze broke, Sano came back to his senses and ducked behind the person in front of him so she wouldn't see him again when she looked.

As the names droned on he straightened again, waiting for the near-end to leave. Some time well into the W's he lifted from the chair and turned to leave, quietly weaving his way out and trying not to draw attention. Just as he was exiting the campus green an enormous cheer arose from behind him, a quick pivot revealing hundreds of hats in mid-air, their tassels having their own fun as they twirled back to the ground.

"Another week, my Mizuki," he said, a sad smile gracing his features, "and I'll come back for you."

**Fin.**


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